Key holder frame



Aug. 26, 1952 F, E, JOHNSON 2,608,037

` KEY HOLDER FRAME Filed sept. 17, 1949 2e HG2. 30 22 3 225 a8 36 INVENTOR: FRANK E. JOHNSON,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 26,H 1952 Frank E. Johnson, Abington; Massv., Vasaignor.:to

c 'Ihsrinverrtion Lrel-ates generally to :key retain"- in'g devices; fandfh'as particular meferencevto :a :key fhbld'er .rameff-adaptedet Areceive `key hooks of ltheztype-.having `an :enlarged head disposed 'onthe endofaneckportion. i

Y :The;:object:of the iinvention is toiprovidea key --holder fframe :in which' spring-arms spaced to lreceive -a fkey :hooktherebetween fare provided withffree 'ends for .snapping 'engagement with spaced :tongue @mem-bers.

A fur-ther lcvbj'ectrof' the linvention is to .provide a .-k-ey `holder framerin which fa series of spring arm pairs which are adapted to receive -a `key rhook therebetween are provided with -meansfor engagingspaced tongue :members so `that a con"i Vtinuousslotis formed between the-arms andthe .tonguesto receive akeyhook. j Y

.-Aiurtherdobject of :the :invention lis `to provide a key Aholder v*frame .having a vpair of spring 'y arms .extending `upwardly and 'outwardly in A.spaced relation -tc a -b'ase in which thefarmsfare adapted `to A.be vsprung inwardly for `engagement with spaced atonguesto formslotsto receive a key 'hook .-therein. .y Y A .A further v'object of :the invention i's to provide a key -frame having thev features as ldescribed above whichis :formedof-.a singlepiece ofis'heet metal and adapted formanufact'ure from a continuous strip of material' onan automatic :machine. s 1,

@ther-objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious, `and will, 1iny part, appear hereinafter. For afful'ler understanding -of the nature and .objects-.of the invention, reference should Ybe :had to the following .detailed description, taken 'in Aconjunction with the accompanying drawing,1in which:

Fig. V'1 is la Yperspective view yof -a `key holder Vframe .embodyingfthe -features of the i'nventi'on .Eig-2 .is an enlarged plan viewi'of aporti'on of the key holder frame of Fig. :1;

4 isa top plan -view 'of the `key `holder "of Eig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a -view yin section of the :key'frame taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2` and a key hook in position for removal from the frame; and

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, 'there is illustrated a key .holder frame I0, 'which is 'adapted for V'attachment to a supporting me'xiiber 12, such as a key case or the like,A to receive and engage key hooks I4.

Thekey frame Ill comprises a base ltywhich may be provided with openings il 8 to receiveri-'ve'ts Aegir aangenamer 'fldlaima (omo-'45s) .znffgr attaching the frame tothe supporting r Fastener Corporation; Cambridge, l ,Mass incorporation of -fMassachusett-s reggiseni Nef-nears member, r-'a series .of tongues 22 disposed fonthe iup-'per portonfof the base, and :a series :of spring `armsZfl disposedon the lower portion vof the :base having free end 4portions 26 extending upwardly fin spaced relation thereto.

The tongues .2-2 are spaced apart to -form a series of upper slots 28, and in the preferred embodiment are integral with the upper edge "of the base, andare 'l curled outwardly. and Athen downwardly to form a'supportportionll which is spaced apart from the base to engage the Sfree end :portions ZS of the spring .arms and retain them 1in fan inwardly ffieXed position ias 'will zbe hereinafter described.

The spring 'arms T4 'are arranged ion the base infcooperating pairs 32,1with the "armsof teach pair spaced apart to form a'ser'ies of v.lower .slots 3'4, and the vspringarrn pairs are so 'spacedron the 'ba-se that each flower. '51015134 lis `in alignmenttwitll an .upper vslot 428." Each arrn 24 :is .provided with a `tongue engaging `member 36 which extends inwardly from the V*freeend of 'the arm toward the plane of the base. The member 36 is provided with a tongue engaging edge 38 'having a camming `portions@ .leading to a shoulder portion 4'2 ywhich Vvis adapted to'snap behind Vthe edge of `the support iporti'on 3U of a tongue =2'2; 'The tongue engaginged'ge38 is disposed on th'e opposite outer edges of the tongue enga'gingfmein- 'bers 'of leachspringarm pair, to enable the edges 36 of Va pair of arms 'to snapfi'nto latching engagel .ment 'with adjacent ledges v'of adjacent 'tongues 'so that the lower slot 341and :the upper vslot .-28fo`rn`1 a continuous ysl'ot to retain a 'key hook therein. The inner edges of the 'tongue 'engagingipore tions on each pair of arms are provided with outwardly rounded .portions 43, which 'cooperate 'to vform van opening M which is wider than "the slots28 and 34, to allow the headof va keyhok ,to 'pass therethrough.

rIhe key hooks M for use with the key 'holder frameof the inventionare well known in thea'rt, and `comprise generally a key retaining loop H6 and a .pair 'of vlegs 48 which `are held `together bythe spring action of the -l'oop and adapted to be sprung apart to allow La key to be assembled on the'lo'op. To providemeansfer engagement with Ithe lkeyholder fram'e, the legs '43 are 'shaped and arranged to provide ianienla'rged head '58 -difspse'd 'on vthe-endofifa.neck portion 52. i

Referring t0 '-F-ig. l5, Ethere isy illust'rated ftheV .method for assembling' `a Jkey lhok" on the vkey iframe. The .ffre'e end portions 22 'of 'the l'spring arms., when .not lfeng-aged with .a tongue, `extend -upwadlyand outwardly at an angle to the'base, so that'xthezope'ring 744 jforinedbetweenfthe(tongue engaging. members fof `the arm pairs is' disposed foutwardly ifromtheitn'g'ues 1(s"`ee Fig. t) and is 3 thereby accessible to allow the head oi.' a key hook to be passed therethrough. As the head enters the opening, the neck 52 of the hook enters the lower slot 34, so that the head of the hook is retained behind the adjacent edges of the spring arms. The free end portions 26 are then pushed inwardly to snap into latching engagement with adjacent edges of the tongues, whereby the 'lower slot 34 and the upper slot 28 form a continuous slot to retain the key hook therein. The portion of the tongue engaging members forming the opening 44 is now disposed beneath the tongues 22 and although the head 50 of the key hook; can move freely up and down in the slot through the opening, it is prevented from becoming dis-V engaged from the frame when the head passes upwardly through the opening 44, since the head is retained by the edges of the tongues 22.

To remove a key hook from the frame, the spring arms between which the hook is retained are forced toward each other'until the shoulder 4U of each arm passes the edge of the support portion of the tongue. The free ends of the arms then spring outwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. 5 and the head of the key hook may then be passed through the opening 44.

`The key holder. frame of the invention is economical to construct, since it is formed of a single piece of metal, which allows it to be formed on an automatic machine from a continuous strip of sheet metal. The construction of the arms insures that the key hook is positively locked in theslot, thereby eliminating the possibility of accidental loss of a key.

Since certain obvious changes may be made inthe device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter conl tained herein be interpreted in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A key holder frame to receive and engage key hooks, said frame comprising a base, a series of outwardly extending tongues disposed on the base in spaced relation to one another to form an upper series of slots, and a series of spring arms disposed on the base below the tongues in spaced relation to one another to form a lower series of slots, said arms extending upwardly in spaced relation to the base and having latching means thereon for latching engagement with the tongues so that the upper slots and the lower slots form a series of continuous slots for retaining key hooks therein.

2. A key holder frame to receive and engage key hooks, said frame comprising a base, a pair of outwardly extending tongues disposed on the base in spaced relation to one another to form a slot, and a pair of spring arms disposed on said base in spaced relation to said tongues, the arms of said pair being spaced apart to form a slot therebetween, the arms of said pair being so disposed with respect to said tongues as to align the slot of said pair with the slot formed by said tongues, and the arms of said pair extending upwardly in spaced relation to the base and having latching means thereon for latching engagement with the adjacent tongues so that the slot between said pair of arms and said corresponding slot form a continuous slot for receiving a key hook therein.

3. A key holder frame to receive and engage key hooks, said frame comprising a, base, a series of tongues disposed on the base in spaced relation to one another to form a first series of slots, and pairs of spring arms disposed on the base in -spaced relation to one another and to said series 4 of tongues and extending upwardly in spaced relation to the base, the arms of each of said pairs being spaced apart to form a slot therebetween, theslots formed by said pairs forming a second series of slots, and the :armsfof each pair having inwardly extending portions shapedr and arranged to snap into latching engagement with adjacent tongues so that corresponding slots of said first and second series of slots form a series of continuous slots for retaining key hooks therein.

4. A key holder frame to receive key hooks of the type having an enlarged hook disposed on theend of a neck portion, said frame comprising a base, a series of tongues disposed on the base in spaced relation to form a series of slots, and pairs of spring arms. each pair of spring arms being disposed on the base in spaced relation to a corresponding slot of said series of slots, the arms of each pair being spaced apart to form a slot in Valignment with the corresponding slot of said series of slots, the arms of each pair having inwardly extending tongue-engaging portions having a camming portion and a shoulder portion disposed thereon to enable the spring arm pairs to snap into engagement with the adjacent edges of adjacent tongues so that the slots of said pairs of arms and the corresponding slots of said series form continuous slots to retain key hooks therein.

5. A key holder frame to receive key hooks of the type having an enlarged head disposed on the end of a neck portion, said frame comprising a base, a series of outwardly extending tongues disposed on the base in spaced relation to form a rst series of slots, and pairs of spring arms, each pair of spring arms being disposed on the base in spaced relation to a corresponding slot of said first series of slots, each arm of each pair being disposed in spaced relation to the other to form a slot in alignment with the corresponding slot of said rst series of slots, the slots formed by said pairs of spring arms forming a second series of slots, the arms of each pair having free end portions extending upwardly and outwardly in spaced relation to the base, the free end portions of each pair of arms having inwardly extending tongue-engaging means adapted to snap into latching engagement with adjacent tongues when the free ends of the arms are pushed inwardly whereby the slots of said second series and the corresponding slots of said rst series form a series of continuous slots to receive key hooks so that the enlarged head of the key hook is retained behind adjacent edges of the pairs of arms, said inwardly extending tongue-engaging means being shaped and arranged to provide an opening therebetween to allow the head of a key hook to pass therebetween when the arms are dlsengaged from the tongues and to pass under the vtongues when the arms are engaged therewith, whereby the adjacent tongues cover said opening to retain a key hook in the slot.

FRANK E. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

